The Subway
"The Subway" - by far the most challenging hike I have ever been on both physically and mentally as I faced my fear of heights head on.
Dad signaled my turn. I stood rooted to the spot, my arms wrapped hard across my chest, clasped tight to keep the chattering at bay as well as the panic. I could not make that jump. One misstep could lead to a nasty collision and a disastrous plunge into the icy froth below. The only other option was to willingly repel from our current side of the division, dropping into the river below and swimming to safety for the final time. It wasn't an option. My body couldn't withstand the shock another time. I must make the jump.
Flashes of memories. A coursing river below a waterfall, sweeping me away as a teenager. Staring down at a chasm of hundreds of feet after a slip on a hike as a child with nothing but the rock ledge beneath my belly keeping me from certain death. This hurtle was nowhere near so dramatic or unexpected as those instances, but the terror from those experiences riveted my feet to the ground.
Encouragement met my ears, "Come on Emily! You can make it!" "Just one strong jump Em!"
I stared down the fissure again and shook my head as I responded, "I can't do it. I can't!"
I locked eyes with my Burkie, safely waiting beyond. He was afraid for me, I could see it plainly. "You can do it sweetheart!"
Dad signaled again, beckoning impatiently with his arms and in a firm voice affirming, "Emily, you can do this. You've got to."
I looked at my father's resolute face and I knew he would never ask me to do the impossible. I was capable. I shook my head free of indecision. My mind blanked as my body took over. A step backward, a thrust forward with two strong strides and a leap, propelling me through open space and landing me safely on the firm rock beyond the gap.
I trembled, safe, but shaken. Cassie embraced me as the tears welled up. "That was a scary thing to do sis. But you did it!" Feeling childlike and weak, I stifled the flow, dabbing at my eyes as we progressed to the last repel.
Once down the final descent, the "Subway" opened up to us; a cylindrical gaping tunnel cut through the slot canyon from eons of rushing water and blowing wind. As we emerged from the tunnel and turned to look behind, a towering edifice of red rock stone met our eyes reaching high up into the sky, enormous and majestic. Viewing the awe-inspiring beauty of God's grand creations made each icy plunge and that last terrifying jump all worth it.
***
So often this blog turns into a bit of a travel log for the sake of time; we went here, we did this. However, that jump was a huge mental hurtle for me and I didn't think writing, "I made a really scary jump" would quite do it justice. The above should paint a picture for you of the experience in words and the below will not even remotely do justice to the beauty, variety and grandeur of this amazing hike through photos and captions. I have also included a video about halfway down to try to show through audio (and poor quality video) just how horrifically cold the water in the slot canyons were. Cassie, thanks for being such a good sport! Sorry for laughing at you, but it was only because I had already gone through it and knew how awful it was. Hope you enjoy!
On October 21, we woke up at 5 AM, left the house at 6 to drive to Zion National Park and began hiking at about 7:30 AM right as the sun began to rise over the vast desert landscape. Here we are at the trailhead, a wee bit chilly and ready to get our hike on. (L-R) Me, Burke, Dan, Cassie, Dad, Amy and Karl.
Sunrise on the ribbon rock with my Burkie. Yes, he is wearing a baseball cap on top of a beanie which makes his head look abnormally long. Haha!
Into the wilderness...with swim trunks on. He changed after the swimming portions. :)
The mighty menfolk.
Trying to locate the next carin, which I didn't know was a word until this hike. I knew they were stacked rocks to mark the trail and keep the natural state as untouched as possible, but I didn't know the term and couldn't understand why Amy kept bringing up "Karen" all the time. "Who the heck is Karen?!" Also, a "hoodoo" was a new vocabulary term as well!
Midmorning
Me and Papa before he had a scary moment slipping on some sandstone and getting precariously close to the edge of a drop. I was oblivious, but Amy and Karl made a chain and pulled him to safety.
Same spot, but with the Hubby. This was the first time since I was 5 months pregnant with Darcie that we have been away from the kids for longer than a couple of hours. It was so fun to be with my love, experiencing such an amazing assault to the senses with him.
Amy and Karl on the edge of wicked drop. We mountain-goated down and hiked into that slot canyon behind them.
Me, a liiiiiiittle bit nervous to be so close to the edge.
Seriously, pictures just can't do justice to how cool these slot canyons were to go through.
Amy, our expert climber was such an invaluable asset to have when it came to the repels. She really knows her stuff! Thankfully, although I am afraid of heights, repelling doesn't both me because you're so secure.
Cassie's turn on the first repel. Here Dan is trying to remind her how to hold her hand to break. She was a bit skeptical. :)
This part was actually fun for me and not scary in the least.
Shortly after this I nearly fell into a bottomless pool of water along the riverbank and screamed my head off, narrowly escaping a good drenching before it was necessary. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time!
Autumn was the such a gorgeous, perfect time to hike and these were the best companions I could have asked for. Our conversations varied from thoughtful and informative to entertaining and hilarious. Karl was killing me with his little comments throughout the day. I'm so lucky to be related to such awesome people.
https://youtu.be/heH-m7ofQ7s
Here is the best best video of the day. I mean, she is wearing a WET SUIT people and it didn't even dull the shock for her! After this, we didn't get any photos/videos for a while as everything was packed away in triple ziplock bags to keep them from getting soaked in the swims.
Documentation that I survived THE jump!
Last repel - so grateful we didn't have to go into the water again.
Now Burkie.
The mouth of The Subway - apparently they call it that because it looks like the tunnel an underground train (subway, metro, etc) would run through. There are also lines that have been worn into the rock by the water that look like train tracks.
Cassie and Dan after our last repel.
Knowing only our feet would slosh through the river from here on out, we quickly changed into dry clothes. The relief from bone deep chill was exquisite!
Everytime we turned around these natural waterfalls were even more beautiful than the last time we turned. We took our sweet time on this part, enjoying the sun and the sensation of our bodies warming up.
After finishing the adventurous slot canyon portion of the hike, we still had a good 5 miles to hike along the river. My knees started to ache as we scrambled up and over, down and around boulders and other obstacles. Here Burke is getting his selfie on with the river trout in the background.
Dan the Man on the final ascent! We were SO glad at this point that it was October and not midsummer or the heat would have been unbearable at this point.
A steep final climb (very crappily marked I might add!) and we were nearly at our 9 mile finish line!
Mom met us in Springdale for a scrumptious dinner at Oscar's - huge portions, perfect for ravenous hikers. Did I mention that it was Dad's birthday the night before? 62 never looked so good. Oscar's did him right with a complimentary carrot cake and 8 forks. Nom. Nom.
Burke's massive burger and my delectable HALF rack of ribs that you could eat cleanly with a fork because they fell right off the bone. Burke has turned me into a carnivore!
Started the day with these beauties at sunrise and ended with a gorgeous rising moon. I'm so grateful to have such stellar sisters (and missed the others who were absent!). A huge thank-you to Dan and Cassie for coordinating the whole event (and winning the lotteries!) and to the rest for making the trip.
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